Cambridge Cost of Food and Living Crisis Campaign

A city wide appeal to help front line community food services and projects to buy ingredients and slow cookers for those in Cambridge hit hardest by the cost of living crisis.

Community food services across Cambridge are reporting increases in the numbers of people seeking help with food, often people who never expected to find themselves in this position and costs are only set to rise further. There are reports of those who are resorting to stealing food, going without to feed their children and not being able to use their cookers due to increases in fuel costs. All in a city that prides itself on its leading place in a global world.

Alex Collis: Cambridge City Council Deputy Leader (Statutory) and Executive Councillor for Open Spaces, Food Justice and Community Development said:

“People coming each week to Cambridge’s food hubs are worried. They’re worried about how they are going to manage in the coming months, as energy and food bills continue to rise, and the cost of living crisis gathers pace. People are frightened. They’re too frightened to put their ovens on to cook the food that is donated each week.There were 21,210 visits to the food hubs last year and that number is going to go up, the big unknown is by how much”

That’s why Cambridge Sustainable Food, with support from Cambridge City Council, is launching a fundraising campaign in partnership with Cambridge Food Poverty Alliance members to assist those organisations working frontline to support communities in Cambridge this winter.

The Cambridge Food Poverty Alliance members benefiting include: Abbey People (Abbey Food Hub), The Church of the Good Shepherd (COGS Food Hub), St Andrew’s Church Cherry Hinton (Cherry Hinton Food Hub), St Martin’s PCC (Coleridge Food Hub), Bangladesh Welfare and Culture Association (Shah Jalal Food Hub), Trumpington Residents’ Association (Trumpington Food Hub), It Takes A City, C3 Church, Food Cycle Cambridge, The Red Hen Project, Cambridge Community Kitchen, Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum, Karim Foundation and Cambridge Sustainable Food CIC.

Donations raised will be split with 35% going to Cambridge Sustainable Food CIC to buy and redistribute ingredients across the city over the winter period via the city’s central Community Food Centre (currently based out of Buchan Street Neighbourhood Centre) and 5% going to each of the other 13 organisations involved. Partners will keep this under review and post updates if we direct more funding towards one type of crisis help because of need.

Funds will be used to support existing community food schemes to buy ingredients and provide slow cookers directly to vulnerable households via Red Hen Club Cook and Abbey Cooks. Slow cookers work more efficiently and therefore reduce fuel costs when cooking. No overheads or salaries will be paid out of this fund to maximise the amount available for frontline delivery.

Your help can make a difference.

We know most of us are feeling the pinch right now, however by donating what you can we will ensure that your money goes to helping vulnerable people in our city are able to eat.